A blog for developers in the trenches

In my previous post, No REST for the Wicked, I gave my two cents on REST and the underlying principle of HATEOAS (Hypermedia As The Engine Of Application State). In my opinion, HATEOAS is applicable to more than just REST architecture. The internet trolls may argue that I’m using the term too broadly, but HATEOAS introduces a number of concepts that are worth exploring in their own right.

You can hardly mention the terms API or REST without tripping over some developer’s rant about which API’s are RESTful and which are not. Frankly, I’m running out of reasons to care. Standards and paradigms are tools, not goals. So to everyone still debating over what is and isn’t RESTful I say, “Your mom’s API isn’t REStful.”

So you’re ready to plunge into the brave new world of HTML 5, huh? Technically, the W3C working group started working on the HTML 5 standard in 2004 and released its first working draft in 2008. As of February 2012, no final specification exists. Eight years without a finished product doesn’t sound particularly brave or new. On the upside, non-revolutionary changes are pretty easy to transition into. In fact, if your current markup is strictly HTML 4.01 compliant, then it is mostly HTML 5 compliant already.

So you’re ready to take the plunge into responsive web design? Well hold on there, partner. Your enthusiasm is good but let’s make sure we’ve done our homework, too. First things first, make sure you have the following development essentials:

A Developer in the Trenches

I'm a software engineer, the arch-nemisis of graphic designers and web marketers everywhere. I've been programming since I was a kid and along the way I've developed a lot of opinions about software and web development. There's a pretty good chance that your experience and/or opinions will be different from mine at some point, and that's cool. At the end of the day, we're all developers in the trenches.